Masonry made but] slow progress in Great Britain from the time of departure of the Romans, till the year A. D. 557, when Austin, with forty monks, among whom the sciences had been preserved, came to England. Austin was commissioned by Pope Gregory to baptize Ethelbert, king of Kent, who appointed him first archbishop of Canterbury.

This monk and his associates, propagated the principles of christianity among the inhabitants of Britain, and by their influence in little more than sixty years, all the kings of the heptarchy were converted. Masonry flourished under the patronage of Austin; he seems to have been a zealous encourager of Architecture, and appeared at the head of the fraternity in founding the old cathedral of Canterbury, in the year 600, and the cathedral of Rochester, in 602, St. Paul's, London, in 604, St. Peter's, Westminster, in 605, and many others.

Some expert brethren arriving from France in 608, formed themselves into a Lodge under the direction of Bennett Abbott, of Wirral, who was soon after appointed by Kinred, king of Mercia, inspector of the Lodges, and general superintendant of the Masons.

Masonry has generally kept pace with the progress of learning; the patrons and encouragers of the latter having been most remarkable for cultivating and promoting the former.

No prince ever studied more to polish and improve the understanding of his subjects, than king Alfred, and no one ever proved a better friend to Masonry. Mr. Hume in his history of England, relates the following particulars of this celebrated prince: "Alfred usually divided his time into three equal portions: "one was employed in sleep and the refection of his body by diet "and exercise, another in the dispatch of business, and a third "in study and devotion. That he might more exactly measure "the hours, he made use of burning tapers of equal length which "he fixed in lanterns, an expedient suited to that rude age, when "the art of describing sun dials, and the mechanism of clocks "and watches were totally unknown. By this regular distribu❝tion of time, though he often labored under great bodily infirmi"ties, this martial hero, who fought in person fifty-six battles by "sea and land, was able during a life of no extraordinary length, "to acquire more knowledge, and even compose more books than "most studious men, blest with greater leisure and application, "have done in more fortunate ages."

On the death of Alfred in 900, Edward succeeded to the throne, during whose reign the Masons continued to hold their Lodges under the sanction of Ethred, his sister's husband, and Ethward his brother, to whom the care of the fraternity was entrusted. Ethward was a prince of great learning, and an able Architect; he founded the university of Cambridge.

Edward died in 924, and was succeeded by Ethelstane his son, who appointed his brother Edwin patron of the Masons. This prince procured a charter from Athelstane, empowering them to meet annually in communication at York, where the first Grand Lodge of England was formed in 926, at which Edwin presided as grand master. Here many old writings were produced in Greek, Latin and other languages, from which the constitutions of the English Lodges are originally derived. From this æra we date the establishment of Free-Masonry in England. There is at present a Grand Lodge of Masons in the city of York, who trace their existence from this period, by virtue of Edwin's charter; it is said, all the Masons in the realm were convened at a general assembly in that city, where they established a general or Grand Lodge for their future government.

Under the patronage and jurisdiction of this Grand Lodge, it is alledged the fraternity considerably increased, and kings, princes, and other eminent persons who had been initiated into Masonry, paid due allegiance to that grand assembly. The appellation of ancient York Masons, is well known in all regular Lodges, and the universal tradition is, that the brethren of that appellation, originated from the memorable assemblage at York.

On the death of Edwin, Athelstane undertook in person the direction of the Lodges, and the art of Masonry was propagated in peace and security under his sanction.

The craft continued to receive the encouragement of the kings, the royal family and the ministry; some of whom were commonly the grand master, and presided in the Lodges, till the year 1425, at which time Henry VI. a minor, being on the throne, an act of parliament was passed prohibiting and forbidding the assemblies or congregations of Masons to be held, and declaring that any person convicted of procuring or causing such meetings to be holden, should be adjudged guilty of felony, and all persons attending such assemblies should be punished by fine and imprisonment at the will of the king. But this act was never put in force,

nor the fraternity deterred from assembling as usual, under archbishop Churchley, who still continued to preside over them. Notwithstanding this rigorous ediet, the effects of prejudice and malevolence, in an arbitrary set of men, Lodges were formed in different parts of the kingdom, and tranquillity and felicity reigned amongst the brethren.

In 1485, Henry the VII. came to the throne, who became the patron of the craft, and under his auspices the fraternity flourished, and Masonry progressed with an additional splendor. On the 24th day of June, 1502, a lodge of master Masons was formed in the place, at which the king presided in person as master and having appointed John Aslip, Abbot of Westminster, and sir Regmald Bray, knight of the garter, his wardens for the occasion, they proceeded in ample procession to the east end of Westminster Abbey, where the king laid the foundation stone of that rich master piece of Gothic Architecture, known by the name of Henry the seventh's chapel. In the reign of queen Elizabeth, sir Thomas Sackville accepted the office of grand master, during which period, Lodges were held in different parts of the king dom; but the general or Grand Lodge always assembled in York, where the fraternity were numerous and respectable.

The following circumstance is recorded of Elizabeth: hearing that the Masons were in possession of secrets which they would not reveal, and being jealous of all secret assemblies, she sent an armed force to York with intent to break up their annua! Grand Lodge.

This design, however, was happily frustrated by the interposition of sir Thomas Sackville, who took care to initiate some of the chief officers she had sent on this duty. They joined in communication with the Masons, and made so favorable a report to the queen on their return, that she countermanded her orders, and never after attempted to disturb the meetings of the fra ternity.

The year 1666, afforded a singular and awful occasion for the utmost exertion of Masonic abilities.

The city of London, which had been visited the preceding year by the plague, to whose ravages it is computed above 100,000 of its inhabitants fell a sacrifice, had scarcely recovered from the alarm of that dreadful contagion, when a general conflagration, reduced the greatest part of the city within the walls, to ashes. The

persons who were appointed surveyors on this occasion to examine the ruins, reported that the fire overran 373 acres within the walls, and burnt 13,000 houses, 89 parish churches, besides chapels, leaving only 11 churches standing. The Royal Exchange, Custom House, Guildhall, Blackwell Hall, the two Compters, fifty-two city companies' halls, and three city gates were all destroyed. The damage was computed at 1.10,000,000 sterling. The most skilful of the craft were called upon on this occasion, to devise plans for rebuilding the city in a more elegant style, and in a way that it would not in future be so subject to be destroyed by this ungovernable element. The king and grand master, immediately appointed Dr. Christopher Wren, who was deputy grand master, to be the surveyor general and principal architect for rebuilding the city. This gentleman conceiving the charge too important for a single person, selected Mr. Robert Hook, professor of geometry in Gresham college, to assist him, who were immediately employed in measuring the ground, and adjusting the streets, till they produced a plan which met the approbation of the king, and agreeable to the manner in which the city has since appeared. On the 23d of October, 1667, the king in person, levelled in due form the foundation stone of the New Royal Exchange, now allowed to be the finest in Europe. Many other public and private edifices were commenced with zeal, and finished with amazing rapidity and elegance. In 1671, deputy Wren began to build that great fluted column called the monument, in memory of the burning and rebuilding of the city of London. This stupendous pillar was finished in 1677. It is built of Portland stone, of the Doric order: its altitude from the ground is 202 feet; the greatest diameter of the body of the column, is 15 feet; the ground plinth or bottom of the pedestal, 28 feet square, and the pedestal 40 feet high. Over the capitol is an iron balcony, encompassing a cone 32 feet high, supporting a burning urn of gilt brass. It is ornamented in a masterly manner with a number of emblems and statues, descriptive of the object intended to be commemmorated.

But few things remarkable occurred in the succeeding annals of Masonry. Thus far we have thought proper to trace its origin and progression, till we find the institution established on a permanent basis, and reduced to proper system and order. A further narrative of its history would occupy more room than

could be bestowed in this work: the enquiring craftsman can find various authors that treat more at large on the historical part of the society; to these he is referred.

From a consideration of the attention and respect with which Masonry has been treated in all ages; from the encouragement and patronage it has always received, from the wise, the virtuous, and the great, we are constrained to believe that the influence and tendency of the institution, have not been solely confined to its operative part.

Spiritual or speculative Masonry, furnishes much matter for our serious consideration and regard: we find that the arts, the sciences, and all the branches of useful improvement, have been cultivated and encouraged by societies of this kind, and that peculiar secrecy has been enjoined, and special regard had to the character and moral deportment of all such as wished to be admitted fellows or companions in those learned institutions; the Egyptians particularly, had the most scrupulous care in keeping the secrets of Masonry from all strangers.

The great Pythagoras who took a journey to Egypt, to study the Egyptian learning, found such difficulties to be introduced to the priests at Memphis, as he could get over by no other means than by his submitting to be circumcised. So cautious were those sage, liberal students, likewise, that they wrapped up their mysteries in all disguises, allusions, enigmas, fables, and allegories, calculated from their most intricate literature, which required the greatest sagacity, knowledge and study to understand. From thence arose originally the signs, tokens, obscure questions and answers among Masons, which have been handed down to us by oral tradition only. These were kept undiscovered and unexplained to the craftsmen, apprentices, and laborers of those times, till they became after long service and attendance, proficients, and qualified for masters and undertakers of work, by discovering some extraordinary genius and excellence, A Mason, rightly to understand the several copious mysteries of the craft, should have his mind enriched with solid learning; as in this consists one of the first qualifications for making him perfect. A good Mason then is an honest man; one who duly pays his duty to his great Creator; one who strives by honest industry to excel in that trade, profession or science, he is called to; one who is just in all his dealings and dependencies, cultivating his mind and be